


Additional Requests

by spacewhistler



Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Male Friendship, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-04
Updated: 2015-08-04
Packaged: 2018-04-12 22:42:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4497507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spacewhistler/pseuds/spacewhistler
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Apparently, Domino’s Pizza is offering an additional request for any pizza delivery. Nino makes the most of it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Additional Requests

**Author's Note:**

> From a prompt, “ **pizza delivery man**.” I am a lonely person writing a story about loneliness and forming new and unlikely friendships. Forgive the sappiness. I wrote this because I can't sleep. Enjoy.
> 
> P.S. I don't own Domino's Pizza. Or Nino. Or Aiba. Or any of the names you recognize from this little made-up fiction.

_Hello?_

_Nino, I am so sorry. I have to pass for tonight. My mother wanted us to have dinner at home together. Something about a special plan for my sister. I don’t know. But I am so sorry I could not come over for some games. Maybe some other day?_

_Ohno here._

Beep.

_Nino. It’s me, Sho. I’m afraid I have to cancel tonight._

_My boss wanted me to finish this report by tomorrow and I have to concentrate working on it tonight. I could not afford to lose this deal or I might lose my job._

_I am so sorry, Nino. Let me make it up to you next time. Just ring me up anytime next week. I’ll make sure to leave a day free for you._

Beep.

_Nino! This is Jun._

_I apologize if I called late but I can’t come over tonight. I have to leave for Sapporo as soon as possible for some urgent appointment. I don’t know what magazine it is this time but they’re paying me big for this one._

_I’ll treat you when I come back. I promise._

_Bye then. See you in a few days!_

Beep.

Everyone is busy. Nino is aware of that. When the answering machine stops beeping, he huddles deep inside his makeshift cocoon of blanket while seated on the couch.

Why does he have to be the only one without a busy schedule? Contrary to popular belief, Nino may not like to go outside on his own free will, but he likes hanging out with friends. Jun, Sho and Satoshi will come by and together they will play some games, maybe drink a few, and then sleep before the sun rises.

This time, he’ll have to get by without them. On a time when he really needs a friend.

It’s a terrible day for Nino. Being dumped is no joke. The girl turns him down in the most polite way but his heart shattered at her direct refusal. He guessed she wanted to avoid further complications with him. Nino understood that, of course. Yet the pain lingers.

In fact, Nino just wants someone to talk to about it, or just someone to distract him from the heartbreak. It has been a while since he really fell for a girl. Rejection leaves a dull ache in his chest and it’s no good.

Alone, huh?

The only source of light in Nino’s dark apartment is the multitude of colors coming from the television. It’s on some late night talk show that Nino’s not even interested in. But the sounds can be nice distractions. The laughs of the audience resonate around his gloomy and hushed living room. It’s somehow comforting.

He picks up his phone from the coffee table and peruses the website of his favorite pizza parlor around the block. Pizza’s nice. Something warm may ease this coldness in his lonely apartment.

Nino enters in his information and his preferred type of pizza. (Double cheese, family size. He’ll make sure it’ll last him until the end of the week) When he gets to the end of the order form, he sees a new feature that thoroughly intrigues him. He squints his eyes at the “additional requests” option. It says, “any reasonable request, be our guest.” Quite witty, too.

In an impulse, Nino types in, “Keep me company.”

Without a second thought, he sends in his order.

He wonders how they’ll respond to his request, though. Is it in their span of reasonable requests? What will they do to keep him company? It’s interesting, but somehow, the possibilities terrify him. Who knows if they’ll send in unknown serial killers? Or worse, strippers?

He shudders at the thought. _Don’t fail me now, Domino’s Pizza._

The order arrives in no time, which is no surprise since the nearest branch of the famous pizza parlor is just around the corner. Nino can even walk to it, if he wants to. But this is a special night, requiring special service.

The doorbell to his apartment rings and he wraps himself tightly in the blanket before heading for the door. He opens it to a guy wearing a bright smile on his face, handing out the pizza to him.

“Here’s your order, Mister,” the cheery delivery man pauses before addressing him and turns to the receipt to confirm Nino’s name, “Mr. Ninomiya. Double cheese. Still warm.”

“Um. Thanks,” Nino nods solemnly. Maybe the additional request is not serious, after all, he thinks.

But the delivery guy does not let go of the pizza when Nino tries to grab it from his hands. “Um, excuse me, but I think I need to eat this now before, you know, it gets cold,” Nino explains, trying hard to be nice to the guy although he’s becoming slightly anxious of the man’s peculiar actions.

The bright smile on the pizza delivery man’s face never falters. “But sir, you specifically put in an additional request for a company,” the lanky and overjoyed man then gestures to himself. “Here I am. Ready to keep you company, sir, until my boss calls me for another delivery service.”

“Huh?”

Nino knocks himself out of his daze and sighs after a few moments of bewilderment. He nods and leads him inside. _I don’t know if I’m happy that the additional request is a serious offer. They sent me their weird pizza delivery guy to keep me company, after all._

The man is polite enough to remove his shoes at the _genkan_ and he even whispers, “Excuse me for intruding,” before walking inside. He seems to have no problem in making himself at home in a customer’s house is what Nino thought.

“My name’s Aiba Masaki, by the way,” he says in his usual jovial fashion, his dazzling smile still in place. “Nice house. A bit dark, though.”

Nino walks in as his guest comfortably settles on his couch and places the pizza box on the coffee table himself. He glares at the guy who leans back against the pillows with a deep exhale. Nino then opens the light switch for his guest and the living room is now bathed in light.

“That’s more like it. Your apartment looks livelier this way,” Aiba comments, as if his thoughts on interior design matters to Nino. Nino rolls his eyes as he opens the box to get a piece of the newly cooked pizza. “If you don’t mind me asking, why do you want someone to keep you company tonight?”

“I got dumped today,” Nino retorts, straightforwardly. This stranger has no right to judge him thus he can tell him everything he wants to. He ignores the gasp from the other guy as he munches on his pizza. “My friends are all busy and I don’t want to be all alone and feel sorry for myself.”

Nino does not expect Aiba to familiarly pat him on the back that nearly causes him to vomit his pizza. The delivery man is oblivious to his plight because Aiba suddenly has this faraway look in his eyes and murmurs to him, “Heartbreak is not as easy as anyone thinks, right? It’s like having multiple knives stuck to your chest and you can’t pull them all away from you. It’s that painful.”

“But you know what?” Aiba continues. Nino, on the other hand, tries to eat in silence. “Eat all you want. Be alone, if you want. Cry if you want. Have your heart broken. Then pick yourself up when the pain subsides, because it will, eventually. You’ll come out a better person because you have loved and you have learned.”

So he can say some profound things. Nino guesses he’s not much of an airhead, after all.

“Will you play some games with me?” Nino asks politely.

The guy’s face grows impossibly brighter at the invitation. “Of course!”

***

Pizza boxes and cans of beer litter Nino’s once clean living room. He’s no longer cocooned inside his blanket. Sometime during the night, he has decided to shed the covers and enjoy the light with his chatty companion, Aiba Masaki. The guy laughs too loud over his own failures in Mario Kart. Nino thinks he sucks but at least he’s a great sport and company.

He doesn’t remember ever feeling this good before. Aiba makes funny little jabs at his superb strategic skills in Mario Kart and cheers exaggeratedly when he overtakes Nino by a lap. He’s crazy, he’s fun, and Nino finds himself laughing along with the guy when they both end up in the last two places in a race.

“Ah, that’s great. I have never played this one before,” Aiba exclaims, his hand in his belly.

“Really? But you’re quite good,” Nino responds.

“Aw, Nino-chan, you’re making me blush. Thanks.”

“Shut up, you. I was just telling the truth.”

Nino attempts an annoyed expression but it’s hard when he’s trying to stifle a smile.

Aiba’s phone beeps and vibrates on the pocket of his jeans and he jumps up to answer the call. Nino cleans up the mess they have made in the living room. When he comes back, Aiba’s already putting on his cap.

“I’m sorry, Nino-chan. But I think I need to go now. Another delivery in another town,” he announces.

“Oh, well, then. Goodbye. I’ll see you off.”

Nino tries not to sound disappointed when he follows Aiba to the front door of his apartment. The last few hours of games with Aiba Masaki are something else. He may be the loudest out of all of his friends, but he’s excellent company. He must commend Domino’s Pizza for sending a fun, but still weird, pizza guy over.

“My duty’s over in five hours. Want to hang out?” Aiba turns to him after he has put on his shoes. Nino smiles, reaching out his hand to the other for a handshake.

“Deal.”

“This time, let’s try an outdoor game. Like baseball. I’m good at baseball.”

“Well, I’m still going to beat you.”

“We’ll see about that.”


End file.
